Machines have been known and used in the past for straightening the frames of vehicles after the vehicles have been involved in collisions. Generally, this requires that a vehicle be moved onto a rack or other platform where the frame of the vehicle is accessible to devices on the outer periphery of the platform for applying pulling forces to the vehicle frame. These machines are complex in construction, require a large amount of space, and are expensive to produce and maintain. Representative disclosures relating to vehicle frame straightening machines include the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
3,340,720 PA1 4,088,006 PA1 4,271,692 PA1 4,296,626 PA1 4,309,894 PA1 4,336,705
The machines of the type d.escribed above are typically not suitable for straightening parts of vehicles, such as parts which can be removed from the vehicle. Such structural parts are of relatively small size and cannot be adequately handled on frame straightening machines without major modifications. A representative vehicle having structural parts at its front end which are typically bent out of shape in a collision is a Chevrolet Corvette. It has a frame extension, an impact bar and a pair of side brackets near the frame extension, all of which are bent or twisted out of shape when the vehicle strikes an object with its front end, such as during a collision with another vehicle. These parts of the vehicle can be separated from the vehicle itself since the parts are bolted to the frame or other mounting supports; however, machines for straightening vehicle frames are not adapted to accommodate parts of these types.
In the past, relatively small structural parts, once they have become damaged due to collisions, have merely been thrown away and replaced with new parts. However, this practice has been found not to be economical, assuming the parts can be returned to their original shapes. Thus, a need exists for a machine for straightening parts of these types and the present invention satisfies this need.